Cotton gin breast mounting



July 9, 1940.

w. L. STEINHAUER 2,207,031

COTTON GIN BREAST MOUNTING Filed March 29, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l 1 1714 47) ro/P July 9, 1940.

w. L. STEINHAUER 7,031 COTTON GIN BREAST MOUNTING Filed March 29, 1939 a Sheets-Sheet 2 zawwxg m BU r 5 July 9, 1940. w. STEINHAUER COTTON GIN BREAST MOUNTING Filed March 29, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented July 9, 1940 NlTE STATES COTTON GIN BREAST MOUNTING William L. Steinhauer, Columbus, Ga., assignor to Cen-Tennial Cotton Gin Company, Columbus, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application March 29, 1939, Serial No. 264,808

15' Claims.

The invention relates generally to cotton gins and primarily seeks to provide novel means for swingably .mounting the gin breast structures so that they can be manipulated with ease. and facility for roll dumping and cleaning purposes.

Cotton gins include independently movable gin breast and huller breast structures between which is formed a main or gin roll box in which cotton fed into the gins is formed into a longitudinal roll which is supported in part upon a plurality of closely spaced ginning ribs between which the rotary ginning saws project into engagement with the roll for the purpose of catching in and taking away clean cotton lint from said roll. The huller breast also includes a huller chamber or box portion and hulling. ribs through which'the saws pass for the same purpose stated; As is well known, fresh picked cotton varies greatly in the amount of trash included therein, and when the cotton is comparatively clean it can be passed directly into the main roll box whereas when it contains a considerable amount of hulls and trash it is passed into the hull roll box.

Obviously, as the ginning process proceeds more and more of the clean cotton lint will be ginned from the roll and the roll ultimately becomes a matted residue containing much seed and hull trash and little cotton that can be ginned efficiently. At such times the roll must be cleaned from the gin. In order to accomplish this it is necessary to move the gin breast structure and the huller breast structure away from the saws so that the ginning and hulling grate or rib falls clear said saws, and then the huller breast structure must be moved relative to the gin breast structure so that the roll can be forced out between said breast structures. Heretofore, these breast structures have been moved misaiely and with laborious effort by hand, or by complicated lever and linkage systems, and it has been necessary to actually force the roll out of the roll bar; and through between the breast structures. It is to the remedying of these conditions that my present inventive efforts have been addressed.

An object of the invention is to provide a gin including gin and huller breast structures swingable together about a pivot disposed at the bottom of said structures and so related to the center of weight or the load center of the com-- posite breast structures that they can be swung outwardly and inwardly with a minimum of effort.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gin. including breast structures swingably mounted in the manner stated and novel manually actuated devices for effecting swinging movement of said breast structures. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide actuating devices of the character stated includ- 5 ing toggle links capable of automatically locking the gin breast structure in an outwardly swung condition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gin including gin and huller breast structures swingable together about a pivot disposed at the bottom of said structures and in which the huller breast structure is pivoted at its upper end to. the gin breast structure so as to beswingable by gravity away from the gin breast structure when the gin breast structure is swung outwardly for roll cleaning purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel latching devices for releasablyconnecting 20 the breast structures.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel drive for the huller breast carried picker roll including devices separable upon separation of the breast structures for the purpose of silencg5 ing the drive.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel braking means for, stopping free rotation of the picker roll.

With the above and other objects in view that 30 will hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more fully understood by following the detailed description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings-- Figure 1 is a right end elevation of a cotton gin embodying the invention, the gin and huller breast structures being shown in normal ginning position in full lines, and swung outwardly in 4 latched connection in dotted lines, and the huller breast unlatched and swung away in dot and dash lines;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section illustrating both breast structures in the normal ginning po- 45 sition in full lines, and swung outwardly in the unlatched and separated or roll clearing condition in dotted lines;

' Figure 3 is a left end elevation of the gin, the

gin and huller breast structures being shown in normal ginning position in full lines, both breast structures being illustrated in dotted lines as swung outwardly and latched together, and the huller breast structure being shown swung out to the roll clearing position in dot and dash lines. 55.

The cotton gin structure herein disclosed as embodying the invention is generally conventional in form and includes main end frames 5 which are joined by suitable longitudinal rail members such as the top rail 6. In suitable bearings 1, the frame supports a rotary shaft 8 on which the usual ginning saws 9 are mounted in closely spaced relation. At one end the shaft carries a pulley Ill through which rotation may be imparted to the shaft by a suitable power transmitting belt II, and at its other end the,-

shaft carries a grooved friction drive pulley [2, the purpose of which will later become apparent.

The gin includes the usual inner or gin breast structure generally designated A, and the outer or huller breast structure generally designated B, and after the usual practice in cotton gin construction, these breasts must be capable of being swung outwardly away from the saws so as to clear the grate falls of the breast from the saws and must be separable so as to permit removal of the cotton roll from the roll box formed between the individual breast structures The inner or gin breast structure A includes end plates l3 suitably secured in assembled relation by upper and lower longitudinal frame members M, and is equipped with the usual complement of closely spaced ginning ribs i5 which straddle the saws 9 and are shaped'at their upper ends to cooperate with the face plate portion IS in partially forming the roll box.

The outer or huller breast B includes end plates l1, connected in assembly by upper and lower longitudinal frame members is, and is equipped with the usual'complement of closely spaced huller ribs l9 which likewise straddle the saws 9 and are spaced from the ginning ribs l5 to form a discharge space 2E3. A picker roll 2| is rotatably supportedlby the huller breast adjacent the lower end of and in close proximity with the ribs l9, and suitable bottom plating 22 and a front wall member 23 hinged at its upper end as at 24 cooperate with the ribs E8 in form-' ing a hulling chamber 25. A roll box door 26 is provided and is pivotally supported immediate ly above the upper frame member l8 on trunnion screws 2?, and it will be observed by reference to Figure 2 of the drawings that the inner faces of the door 26 and of the upper frame member 18 are curved as at 28 to oppose and cooperate with the face plate IB and the upper portions of the ginning ribs l5 in forming a generally cylindrical or oval roll box 29. I

' The end plates I3 of the gin breast are pivotally supported as at 39 on the main frame members 5, preferably by seating forked portions of the plates over supporting pins carried by the frame members. The end plates ll of the huller breast are pivotally connected as at 3| to the gin breast plates I3. The pivotal supports 30 serve to swingably mount both breast structures and are disposed at the bottom or well below the leve of the saws 9, whereas the pivotal connections 3! are positioned at the top or well above the level of the saws. The reason for this particular arrangement of pivotal connections will be described hereinafter.

A novel latching means is provided at each end of the gin for holding the inner and outer breast structures A and B against movement of separation about the pivotal connections 31. Each latching equipment includes a latch arm 32 including an outwardly extended cam nose 33 and is pivotally supported for swinging move ment. The latch arms are engageable with lugs 34 projecting from the end plates ll of the outer or huller breast structure B. An actuator rod 35 is connected with each latch arm 32 and includes a handle portion 36. Each rod passes through a slide guide 3? preferably secured to the respective end plate E3 of the inner or gin breast A. An abutment member 38 is secured to each actuator rod in spaced relation below the respective slide guide, and a compression spring 39 is interposed between each abutment member and the associated slide guide and constantly urges the respective latch arm in a direction for securing the respective latch lug 34.

The bearing member I at the left-hand end of the gin also provides bearing as at 40 for an idler stub H on which an idler friction wheeel 42 is rotatably mounted in position for constantly engaging and being driven by the friction pulley l2 hereinbefore referred to and secured upon the saw shaft 8. The picker roll 2! hereinbefore referred to has rotative bearing as at 43 in the right-hand end plate I! of the huller breast B and as at 4'4 in the left end plate IT. The left end picker roll shaft extension carries a friction pulley 45 which normally engages and is driven by the idler wheel 42. (See Figure 3.)

The inner or gin breast carries a guard hump 46 and guard plate or shield 47 which is disposed beneath the delivery end of the chute or slide 48 by which the cotton is fed into the roll box, and this (guard equipment 41, 48 serves to prevent the feeding .of cotton behind the gin breast A and onto the saws 9 when the breast structures have been swung outwardly to clear the grate falls or rib structures i5 and I 9 thereof from the saws.

In order to positively and manually effect a swinging of the breast structures A, B outwardly for the purposes above stated, an actuator rod 49 is rockably supported at the upper inner corners of the gin breast end plates I 3, and a pair of toggle links 5!! are provided at each end of said rod, one of each pair of pivotally connected links being secured at each end of the rod and the other link of each pair of links be ing pivoted as at 5| to the main gin end frame 5. Each pair of toggle links 50 is formed to include a knee lock 52 which will look just past dead-center in the upward direction. The links normally serve merely as means for limiting outward movement of the breast structures, but at times the gin might be operated temporarily with the outer or huller breast structure B removed, in which case the inner or gin breast structure A will tend to gravitate toward its normal ginning position and the knee lock 52 will then be effective to prevent such movement. A weighted actuator lever 53 is secured to one end of the actuator rod 49 and is employed for the purpose of manually rocking the rod and effecting swinging movement of the breast structures A, B.

It will be obvious that the weighted lever will cause the knee lock to function automatically under the conditions just above described.

The center of weight or the load center of the composite breast structure A, B is so disposed with relation to the pivotal support 30 that the composite breast structure can be swung outwardly and inwardly to clear the grate falls from the saws and to return the parts to the normal ginning position with a minimum of effort. In other words, the load center of the composite breast structure A, B is generally centered over the pivotal mounting 30 whereby in one movement-limit position of the composite breast structure A, B said load center be disposed slightly inwardly of said pivotal mounting, and in the other movement limit of said composite breast structure the load center will be disposed slightly outwardly of said pivotal mounting. However, the load center of the individual inner or gin breast structure A is normally disposed inwardly of the pivotal mounting 30, and this condition obtains when this breast structure is swung to its outermost position so that the breast structure A will constantly tend to gravitate to its normal ginning position as hereinbefore described.

The load center of the outer or huller breast B is so disposed with relation to its pivotal mounting at 3| that whenever the composite breast structures A, B are swung outwardly to the position illustrated in dotted lines in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, the outer or huller gin breast structure, when unlatched by release of the latching arms 32, will swing outwardly by gravity to the position illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2 and in dot and dash lines in Figure 3, thereby automatically clearing the cotton roll in the roll box and facilitating removal thereof downwardly between the individual breast structures A and B. As the breast structures A, B are swung back to the normal ginning position by manipulation of the lever 53, the latching devices will automatically relatch the outer or huller breast structure B. It will be recognized as a definite advantage that the seed and hull exit of the gin structure remains in the same position relative to the gin leg in open and closed positions, since for this reason it is not necessary to shift any container intended to receive the hulls and seed from one position to another when opening or separating the gin breast structures.

Another advantage resides in the fact that the outer gin breast B is moved away from the inner gin breast A by gravity action, and will be held by gravity in its open position, so that no latch or other means is necessary to maintain it in open position, and therefore, there is no danger of the outer breast structure becoming loose and injuring the operator.

In previously designed gin structures. the roll box was disposed almost directly above the saws, and the breast structures were so mounted that even after they had been moved to the roll clear.- ing position the roll was supported on the ginning rib structures and had to be forced out of the roll box. In the present invention this objectionable arrangement of parts is not present, and when the breast structures are swung outwardly and separated, little or no force is necessary in discharging the roll from the roll box.

It will be observed byreference to Figure 3 of the drawings that whenever the breast structures A, B are swung outwardly, the picker. roll driving elements Z and are separated, and the picker roll drive is thereby silenced. In order to prevent free rotation of the picker roll, a brake shoe 54 is supported by a bracket 55 in position for being engaged by the friction pulley 45 when the breast structures A, B are swung outwardly together in the latched condition. When the latches are released and the outer or huller breast 3B is swung outwardly to free the cotton roll, the pulley 45 will move off the brake shoe 5d and again free the picker roll so that it can be moved by hand if desired.

It is of course to be understood that the details of structure and arrangement of parts may be variously changed and modified without depart-' ing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, anouter or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means connecting the breasts in. a manner permitting relative move" ment of separation to permit cleaning of the roll, means pivotally supporting said breasts at a point below the level of the saws for outward movement together to clear the grate falls from said saws, and means limiting outward movement of said breasts, the load center of. the breasts being generally centered over the pivot whereby in one movement limit position of the breasts said center will be disposed slightly inwardly oi said pivot and in the other movement limit of said breasts said center will be disposed slightly outwardly of said pivot.

2. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast. said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means connecting the breasts in a manner permitting relative movement of separation to permit cleaning of the roll, means pivotally supporting said breasts at a point below the level of the saws for outward movement together to clear the grate falls from said saws. means limiting outward movement of said breasts, the load center of the breasts being generally centered over the pivot whereby in one movement limit position of the breasts said center will be disposed slightly inwardly of said pivot and in the other movement limit of said breasts said center will be disposed slightly outwardly of said pivot, and manually operated means including toggle links for moving said breasts between said limits. v

3. In a cotton gin,a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means connecting the breasts in a manner permitting relative movement of separation to permit cleaning of the roll, means pivotally supporting said breasts at a point below the level of the saws for outward movement together to clear the grate falls from said saws, the load center of the inner breast being disposed inwardly with respect to said pivot whereby said inner breast will gravitate to its normal ginning position, and manually operated means including toggle lock links for moving and holding the inner breast away from its normal position.

i. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast. an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means operating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws, and means pivotally'supporting said breasts at a point below the level of the saws for outward movement together to clear the grate falls from said saws, the load center of said outer breast being sodisposed relative to its pivotal support on the inner breast that the outer breast will tend to swing outwardly by gravity away from the inner breast to free the cotton roll in the roll box whenever the inner breast is swung outwardly to clear its grate fall from the saws.

5. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightlydisposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means operating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws, means pivotally supporting said breasts at a point below the level of the saws for outward movement together to clear the grate falls from said saws, the load center of said outer breast being so disposed relative to its pivotal support on the inner breast that the outer breast will tend to swing outwardly by gravity away from the inner breast to free the cotton roll in the roll box whenever the inner breast is swung outwardly to clear its grate fall from the saws. and releasable latch means normally latching the inner and outer breasts together so as to normally overcome said outward swing tendency of the outer breast.

6. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means operating to form a roll box 'disl osed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of ,the saws, means pivotally supporting said breasts at a point below the level of the saws for outward movement together to clear the grate falls from said saws, the load center of said outer breast being so disposed relative to its pivotal support on the inner breast that the outer breast will tend to swing outwardly by gravity away from the inner breast to free the cotton roll in the roll box whenever the inner breast is swung outwardly to clear its grate fall from the saws, and releasable latch m ans normally latching the inner and outer breasts together so as to normally overcome said outward swing tendency of the outer breast, said latch means including latching lugs on the outer breast and latch arms swingable about axes movable with said gin breast and engageable with said lugs.

7. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means pivotal- 1y connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws for movement of separation to free-a cotton roll in the roll box, means pivotally supporting the inner breast at a point below the saws for outward movement to clear the grate falls from the saws. a picker roll carried by the outer breast, and driving means for the picker roll including an element automatically uncoupled by movement of the inner breast to silence the picker roll.

8. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a rollbox disposed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws for movement of separation to free a cotton roll in the roll box, means pivotally supporting the inner breast at a point below the saws for outward movement to clear the grate falls from the saws, a picker roll carried by the outer breast, driving means for the picker roll including an element automatically uncoupled by movement of the inner breast to silence the picker roll, and brake means rendered effective by movement of the inner breast for stopping movement of the picker roll.

9. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws for movement of separation to free a cotton roll in the roll box, means pivotally supporting the inner breast at a point below the saws for outward movement to clear the grate falls from the saws, a picker roll carried by the outer breast, driving means for the picker roll including an element automatically uncoupled by movement of the inner breast to silence the picker roll, and brake means rendered effective by movement of the inner breast for stopping movement of the picker roll and again rendered ineffective upon movement of separation of said outer breast.

10. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws for movement of separation to free a cotton roll in the roll box. means pivotally supporting the Inner breast at a point below the saws for outward movement to clear the grate falls from the saws, a picker roll carried by the outer breast, and driving means for the picker roll including a stationarily supported friction driver rotor, and a friction rotor for driving said roll normally engaging said firstnamed rotor and movable with one of the breasts out of engagement with said first-named rotor for silencing the picker roll.

11. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws for movement of separation to free a cotton roll in the roll box, means pivotally supporting the inner breast at a point below the saws for outward movement to clear the grate falls from the saws. a picker roll carried by the outer breast, driving means for the picker roll including a stationarily supported friction driver rotor, and a friction rotor for driving said roll normally engaging said first-named rotor and movable with one of the breasts out of engagement with said first-named rotor for silencing the picker roll, and a stationary brake shoe engageable by said disengaged rotor for stopping rotation of said picker roll.

12. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner 02' gm breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws for movement of separation to free a cotton roll in the roll box, means pivotally supporting the inner breast at a point below the saws for outward movement to clear the grate falls from the saws, and the load center of said outer breast'being so disposed relative to its pivotal support on the inner breast that the outer breast will tend to swing outwardly by gravity away from the inner breast to free the cotton roll in the roll box whenever the inner breast is swung outwardly to clear its grate fall from the saws.

13. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, .means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws for movement of separation to free a cotton roll in the roll box, means pivotally supporting the inner breast at a point below the saws for outward movement to clear the grate falls from the saws, and theload center of said outer breast being so disposed relative to its pivotal support on the inner breast that the outer breast will tend to swing outwardly by gravity away from the inner breast to free the cotton roll in the roll box whenever the inner breast is swung outwardly to clear its grate fall from the saws, and means limiting outward movement of the inner breast, the load center of the connected breasts being generally centered over the pivot whereby in one movement limit position of the breasts said center will be disposed slightly inwardly of said pivot and in the other movement limit of said breasts said center will be disposed slightly outwardly of said pivot.

14. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall'composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form. a roll box disposed between the breasts, means pivotally connecting the outer breast to the inner breast at a point above the level of the saws for movement of separation to free a cotton roll in the roll box, means pivotally supporting the inner breast at a point below the saws for outward movement to clear the grate falls from the saws, and the load center of said outer breast being so disposed relative to its pivotal support on the inner breast that the outer breast will tend to swing outwardly by gravity away from the inner breast to free the cotton roll in the roll box whenever the inner breast is swung outwardly to clear its grate 'fall from the saws, means limiting outward movement of the inner breast, the load center of the connected breasts being generally centered over the pivot whereby in one movement limit position of the breasts said center will be disposed slightly inwardly of said pivot and in the other movement limit of said breasts said center will be disposed slightly outwardly of said pivot, and manually operated means including toggle links for moving said breasts between said limits.

15. In a cotton gin, a frame, rotary ginning saws supported on said frame, an inner or gin breast, an outer or huller breast, said breasts being uprightly disposed and each having a grate fall composed of saw straddling ribs and together having means cooperating to form a roll box disposed between the breasts, means connecting the breasts in a manner permitting relative movement of separation to permit cleaning of the roll, means pivotally supporting said breasts at a point below the level of the saws for outward movement together to clear the grate falls from said saws, a chute for feeding cotton to the roll box, and shield means movable with the inner breast and disposed beneath the chute for preventing feeding of cotton onto the saws when the inner breast is moved outwardly.

WILLIAM L. STEINHAUER. 

